Overview

Bluebeam may become unresponsive or slow when used inside a Softdrive virtual machine. One common cause is camera access behavior within Bluebeam Revu. Disabling camera access can significantly improve stability and responsiveness.

There are three primary methods to disable camera access inside a Softdrive virtual machine:

• Disable camera access for Bluebeam Revu only using a registry script
• Disable camera access globally through Windows Privacy Settings
• Disable all camera devices using PowerShell

Applies To

• Softdrive Cloud Desktops (Windows 10 and Windows 11)
• Applications using camera access (Bluebeam Revu, Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
• Softdrive environments where camera access needs to be restricted

Prerequisites

• Administrator privileges on the Softdrive machine
• Access to the Softdrive virtual desktop
• PowerShell access with elevated permissions
• Bluebeam Revu installed (for Method 1)
• Access to Windows Settings or Registry Editor
• If using Intune, ensure the device is properly enrolled and synced

Procedure

Option 1 – Disable Camera for Bluebeam Revu Only (Registry Script)

This method blocks only Bluebeam Revu from accessing the camera while leaving camera access available for applications such as Teams or Zoom.

The script:

• Runs safely even if Bluebeam is not installed
• Applies Value="Deny" to Bluebeam camera permissions
• Automatically handles future Bluebeam installs through remediation

Notes

• Scope includes current user, loaded users, disk profiles, and default profile
• Supports multiple Bluebeam installation layouts
• Creates logs in:

  %PROGRAMDATA%\BluebeamCamBlock\log_*.txt

Create and Run the Script

• Open Notepad
• Paste the PowerShell script
• Save as:

  BluebeamCamBlock.ps1

• Save as type:

  All Files (*.*)

• Save to Desktop

Run PowerShell as Administrator and execute:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Path\BluebeamCamBlock.ps1"

Verify Registry Changes

• Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
• Navigate to:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\webcam\NonPackaged

• Confirm Bluebeam Revu entry shows:

  Value = Deny

Option 2 – Disable Camera Access Using Windows Privacy Settings

This method disables camera access for desktop applications through Windows Privacy Settings.

• Press Windows Key + I
• Open Privacy or Privacy & Security
• Select Camera
• Scroll to:

  Allow desktop apps to access your camera

• Turn the toggle OFF

Option 3 – Disable Cameras Using PowerShell

This method disables all camera devices at the system level.

• Open PowerShell as Administrator
• Run:

  Get-PnpDevice -Class Camera | Disable-PnPDevice -Confirm:$false

Expected Result

Method 1:

• Bluebeam Revu cannot access the camera
• Other applications continue using the camera normally

Method 2:

• Desktop applications are prevented from accessing the camera

Method 3:

• All camera devices are disabled system-wide
• No applications can access the camera

Troubleshooting

• Ensure PowerShell was run as Administrator
• Verify registry entries exist under:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\webcam\NonPackaged

• Restart Bluebeam or reboot the VM after applying changes
• Verify the correct Bluebeam executable path was targeted
• Check whether Group Policy or Intune is overriding settings
• For PowerShell method, verify camera devices are disabled:

  Get-PnpDevice -Class Camera

• If cameras re-enable automatically, check startup scripts or device policies

If the issue persists, contact support@softdrive.co and include details of the method used and any observed errors.